And on the piano...

Share via

THE TASK of artistic creation, we tend to think, is primarily a mental and emotional one. Those who work in the performance arts face an additional struggle: that with the body. Tomorrow Alfred Brendel, considered by many to be the greatest living pianist, will make his last appearance at the Proms before retiring from live broadcasts. In an interview with The Times in June Brendel, now 73, spoke about the gradual encroachments of age: “The route from the mind to the fingers takes longer than it used to. People don’t want to speak about it, but it is just normal.”